New 'seamless' blue box program rolls out in Waterloo region, your routine should stay the same

The blue box program is changing on Monday, but regional officials say people shouldn't notice any difference when it comes to their items being picked up at the curb.

Management of the residential blue box program is being moved from the region to Circular Materials. It's part of a provincial plan to shift the cost of recycling away from the municipalities and onto producers.

Circular Materials is a not-for-profit recycling organization.

"The intention with this transition is to see nothing change for residents at the curb," Jon Arsenault, the region's director of waste management, told CBC News.

"It will be seamless. The same contractors will be picking up blue box materials the same day in which residents put blue box materials out for collection. That will stay the same. The same materials going in the blue box that stays the same. The only difference is that if there is an inquiry or an issue...specific to blue box collection, residents will be redirected to contact the contractor directly or Circular Materials."

Garbage, yard waste and bulky items will continue to be picked up by the region.

Arsenault says from the region's perspective, not much changes either. The items collected by the contractors will still be dropped off at region's facilities to be transferred to processing facilities.

"The biggest impact to the region is taxpayers are no longer funding a portion of this program which was a shared responsibility program before," he said, noting the region paid for about 50 per cent of the blue box program up until this past weekend.

He said other municipalities have already transitioned their blue box programs over and that has gone smoothly, but if there are hiccups, regional staff will be able to direct residents to the right person to contact for help.

History of blue box program

The blue box program was officially launched on Sept. 26, 1983 in Kitchener after a pilot project in the city was done in 1981. 

In a fact sheet about the history of the blue box program locally, the region says the initial pilot, more than 1,000 homes were asked to sort steel cans, glass and paper out of their regular garbage and 250 homes were given special blue boxes. Blue was chosen because it was easy to identify at the curb.

In 2021, the Ontario government finalized plans to expand recycling services across the province and make product producers pay for it.

Regional Chair Karen Redman said in a media release that the region's focus "remains on increasing landfill diversion and the continued promotion and adoption of the 4Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover."

Allen Langdon, CEO of Circular Materials, said in the same release that people can expect a "convenient, consistent, and effective recycling system" that will improve recycling rates.

The City of Guelph is scheduled to make the transition Jan. 1, 2025, while Guelph-Eramosa and Wellington are expected to make the move July 1, 2025.